In Orwell's 1984, the regulation lunch was a pannikin of pinkish-grey stew, a hunk of bread, a cube of cheese, and a mug of Victory Coffee. We can improve on that.

While food is, of course, the main ingredient of a meal, the setting can be almost as important as the food itself. While most restaurants these days (though The Bucket of Blood is not a restaurant) try to be chic and currently fashionable, Winston Smith's is true frontier style in a Western building, where you can tie your horse to the rail, with heavy wood floors, hewn tables and chairs, a porch where you can still throw horseshoes, and an atmosphere reminiscent of times past.

Formerly known as Winston Smith's Eatery & Speakeasy after the leading character in George Orwell's novel – 1984 – we decided to change it as most visitors were clueless as to both George Orwell and 1984! Thus it took on the name of The Bucket of Blood after one of my favourite historic places in Canada – Burn's Lake, British Columbia, a former Hudson Bay Trading Post which became the Bucket of Blood around the 1930s.

Here you can enjoy – with the place exclusively for your use – an entertaining evening with friends or family in an atmosphere more reminiscent of times past and the days of carefree-living, when life was more easy-going and less stressful.

The Bucket of Blood comes with a large fully equipped kitchen capable of preparing whatever meals you desire. Victory Gin (as in 1984) is still 10 cents per large nip.

THE 1984 CLUB

The year 1984 has long since come and gone, but George Orwell's prophetic, nightmarish vision in 1948 of the world we were to become is timelier than ever.

Today, an ever growing number of people worldwide have lost all faith in their governments, are sick to their stomachs of the lies, the greed, the duplicity, and the manipulation of those who call themselves our 'leaders'.

There is more surveillance and oppression than George Orwell could ever have imagined in his 'Nightmare of the Future', and Big Business and the New World Order protagonists are robbing us, poisoning us, and taking away our liberty faster than you can shake a fist. (The first seven lessons from the Chapel deal with these aspects and the coming end of the world as we know it – available on request)

The Bucket of Blood is also the meeting place for members of the exclusive 1984Club.

Highland Heritage was themed almost from the outset on George Orwell's nightmarish vision of the future in 1984, and we are strenuous protagonists of the 'battle' to overcome the Big Brother takeover of our civil liberties – we need say no more on this front.

Orwell Towers is our main guest accommodation block, Winston Smith's was our guest eatery and speakeasy, and Minitrue (Ministry of Truth) is our information centre and library. We also have the Victory Academy of Horse Sense, Victory Cascades, Victory Falls (85-metre – 280-feet single drop) and we grow our own Victory Organic Coffee, and so on.

VICTORY COFFEE

Our coffee is high-altitude, totally organic, and shade grown in the rainforest – nothing is added, or sprayed, or anything.

In
December and January the fruits are harvested as they turn red, soaked in pure spring water until the pulp becomes soft, which is then removed leaving just the bean. The beans are then naturally sun and air dried for several days, after which the skin on the bean is removed. They are then stored ready for use.

As the need arises, the beans are then slow-roasted over a natural wood fire for about an hour, to the desired richness. Nothing in our process is artificial. The downside of this is that our coffee is just too good, and we drink too much!